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Friday, May 27, 2016

"Hawthorne" @ Action/Adventure Theatre

Zoe Rudman is a very versatile actress. I know this because only exposure to her work was "Fierce Love" in which all her roles were light-hearted. So, it was quite a shock to see she was playing the lead in "Hawthorne," a neo-noir world premiere at Action/Adventure Theatre. Sure, there are the wisecracks that are expected of the genre, (some quite good), but "Hawthorne" also requires a fair amount of seriousness. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that Ms. Rudman does a masterful job, my favorite scene of hers in "Fierce Love" involved finding the humor in learning how to pick yourself up after learning your child has been diagnosed with a disability. If that's not a mix of funny and somber I don't know what is. (Ms. Rudman played a "Stunt Double.")

Also of note are the expressive projections, and the truly moody instrumental score. Unfortunately, some of the projections were not just for scene-setting, but included small jokes or necessary information like internet search results, and sometimes I missed them, either due to their speed or my sightline. Also unfortunate is "Hawthorne" 's relatively brief run, Thurs-Sat, thru June 4. I sincerely hope they extend it, there was a packed house the night I attended, so they may. I look forward to seeing more work from Action/Adventure, and of course, Ms. Rudman.